Let's work together to turn the tide on pollution

There's rubbish on our beaches and pollution in our seas. Agricultural and urban run-off, storm waters, misconnected plumbing and dog faeces often end up in the seas we swim in - whilst our passion for plastic is leaving a legacy of litter on our beaches including cotton bud sticks, drinks bottles and plastic bags.

Dangerous to wildlife

Litter and sewage pollution is not only an eyesore but is also a danger to the amazing wildlife in our seas and on our beaches. Action needs to be taken NOW to reduce litter levels on our beaches by half by 2020 and to see a drop in sewage pollution.

Making a difference

We have successfully campaigned for single use carrier bag levies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have also been instrumental in instigating a marine litter strategy in Northern Ireland, a first for the UK!

But more needs to be done and YOU can help.

Every year we work with thousands of volunteers across the UK to monitor the litter on our beaches through our Beachwatch programme. Using the data we collect from our surveys, we work on areas of particular concern, such as plastic bags and balloon and lantern releases.

We also report on the state of our bathing waters through the Good Beach Guide and encourage water companies, local authorities and regulators to work together to improve bathing water quality.